Rounder bars are commonly used in cooperation with an endless conveyor in the baking industry for forming dough into various shapes. As the dough is formed by the rounder bar, a blade is typically pressed against the surface of the conveyor in order to wipe the surface of the conveyor clean as the dough is formed.
Conventional rounder bars are typically mounted to a support structure that is fixed above the conveyor. The rounder bars are typically secured to the support structure by brackets and one or more fasteners, thereby placing the rounder bars and the blade in a fixed position with respect to the conveyor.
Unfortunately, it has been found that as conventional dough-shaping equipment is operated, various factors such as wear and tear of the equipment, such as the conveyor belt surface, the drive and idler rollers, and various other factors cause irregularities that enable dough leakage to occur between the blade and the conveyor belt surface. Although conventional rounder bars have been fitted with floating blades to wipe the conveyor belt surface, the entirety of the blade must be adjusted with respect to the conveyor belt surface, and the blades are not capable of compensating for localized irregularities in the conveyor belt surface.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rounder bar that can be adjusted in selected zones to compensate for dough leakage in localized areas across the conveyor belt.